Why Colleen Hoover Has Book Lovers Divided

Colleen Hoover is a name that many book lovers know well. Hoover is the bestselling author of many popular books such as "It Ends With Us," "All Your Perfects," "Regretting You," "Reminders of Him," Verity," "Hopeless," and many more. She has completely dominated book sales over the past year, and she shows no signs of stopping as she moves into movie adaptations. Social media has also helped contribute to Hoover's popularity – especially book enthusiasts on TikTok. By sharing their thoughts and recommendations about her work online for other like-minded readers to see, they've kept her work trending on #BookTok, per USA Today.

The author, who hails from Texas, has also kept readers on their toes by tackling multiple genres in her writing. Some of the themes that have been present in Hoover's novels include mental health struggles, romance, steamy sexual content, paranormal activity, and thriller elements. Of course, these books can be triggering for many who read them, as they sometimes involve abuse, sexual assault, infertility, and other traumatic situations.

Because of the controversial themes in Hoover's books, readers have been divided when it comes to her work, and they've been debating about it online.

Colleen Hoover has throngs of fans who have kept her books on the bestseller list for months. Because of her popularity, she's also been selling the rights to her work so it can be adapted. (It was announced in 2023 that actress Blake Lively would star as the lead in a feature adaptation of "It Ends With Us.") Fans are downright obsessed with Hoover's books and have become engrossed in her writing style and intricate characters. However, not all book lovers are happy with the themes in Hoover's novels.

"Colleen Hoover is genuinely doing so much damage to the romance genre and the people who read her books. all [sic] of her books romanticize abuse and young people are reading this thinking it's okay and WANTING it to happen to them," one person tweeted. In addition to many readers speaking out online about Hoover's choice of material, writers have criticized the author in the media for allegedly glamorizing abuse in romantic relationships. 

Meanwhile, others have defended Hoover, pointing out that her work is fiction and reminding fans that other authors have written of similar or worse things. Vulture even compared Hoover to the likes of V.C. Andrews for the amount of soap opera-like drama they can offer a reader. Like Hoover, Andrews' books also included themes that made some readers uncomfortable.

In addition to the themes of trauma and abuse in Colleen Hoover's novels, fans have found other problematic issues with the author. According to CNN, Hoover previously announced that she had planned to release a coloring book as a companion to her bestselling novel "It Ends With Us," which centers on domestic violence. However, many people spoke out about the project, causing the author to cancel the plans and issue an apology. "I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf. I hear you guys and I agree with you. No excuses," she stated.

Hoover found herself embroiled in another controversy when her 21-year-old son Levi was accused of sexually harassing a minor. It was alleged that Levi had harassed a 16-year-old and that Hoover had found out about the incident. She later spoke out about the situation. "My son and a girl were online friends for several months. They never met in person. He said something to her in a message that made her uncomfortable (he asked her to send him a pic). AS SOON as I found out about this months ago, I reached out to her," the author said via her Facebook group, adding that she held her son accountable for his actions, per The Mary Sue.

Whether it's over Hoover's book content or her personal life, it's clear that she's become a polarizing figure in the book community, with many fans staying true to their love of her novels, and others speaking out in protest.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.